Super
by AquaTurquoise
Summary: When Sofia discovers that it's almost Cedric's birthday, she wants to do something nice for him since he's taught her so much over the past year—regardless of circumstances that she herself is not aware of.


Super

Summary: When Sofia discovers that it's almost Cedric's birthday, she wants to do something nice for him since he's taught her so much over the past year—regardless of circumstances that she herself is not aware of.

December was nearly over, and Wassailia was fast approaching. And while that holiday was something to anticipate, something else was just a few days before it.

Sofia smiled as she lay on her bed, sketching something in a blank book. She'd heard Baileywick mention earlier that afternoon that Cedric's birthday was in two days. Since the sorcerer had always helped her out, whether he wanted to admit it or not, she decided to do something nice for him both as a thanks and as a birthday gift.

She glanced up as Clover hopped onto the bed and nestled down beside her. She showed him the sketch and grinned. "What do you think?" she asked, hoping he'd respond positively.

"Looks good, kid!" the bunny said enthusiastically before pausing. "What is it?"

The princess giggled. "It's a birthday gift for Mr. Cedric! Well, this is a sketch of it, but I'm going to start working on it tonight. I just wanted to check with someone else first before I started sewing."

He shrugged and nodded. "It looks cool, Sofia, but I've got a question… _When_ is Cedric ever going to wear something like that exactly?"

She smiled. "Whenever he wants to. It's just…my way of saying 'thank you' to him, I guess."

"Why? He's not exactly the most useful or helpful person in the kingdom. Plus, I don't think he likes me."

"Mr. Cedric just doesn't have a lot of experience with animals, Clover…besides Wormwood." She pondered as she tapped her chin. "Actually, he doesn't really seem to have a lot of luck with humans either. A lot of people make fun of him or let him down."

"Have you _seen_ the guy, Sofia? He'd be lucky to get a spell right and not destroy half the kingdom."

The princess looked at her best friend helplessly. "See? That's what I mean. I know he's trying his best, but…" She sighed. "Well, I just think he gets kind of nervous. He doesn't have a lot of confidence in himself, but I think this will help!" She smiled happily again and slid from her bed, moving to her trunk and rummaging through it before pulling out her sewing kit and some deep purple fabric. "Perfect."

It took the night and most of the next day, but Sofia finally finished her gift to Cedric. She sewed the last stitch in the center of the fabric she'd previously chosen and then removed the excess string. She put the sewing materials away and held up her finished product to Clover, Mia, and Robin for inspection.

"What do you think?" she asked them, hoping for a positive response.

Mia nodded. "Looks good!" she chirped.

Robin echoed an affirmative, "Yes! I like it."

Even Clover chuckled and grinned at his friend. "Even Cedric should like this, Sofia… And if he doesn't, I'll chew a hole in those fancy slippers of his."

The princess laughed. "Oh, Clover, don't be silly." She folded the fabric into a perfect square and then took an extra bit of maroon fabric, wrapping the gift carefully. She tied it off with a yellow sash and a hand-written note to him. "Okay, I'm going to go give this to him now."

"Isn't his birthday tomorrow though?" Robin wondered.

"Yes, but he'll be busy helping everyone get ready for Wassailia, and I'm afraid he won't have time for this… So, if I can just let him have it now, he can at least have one gift down." She smiled at her animal friends as they seemed to agree. "Okay, I'll be back soon. Help yourselves to the refreshments." She indicated a huge plate of vegetables and fruits on her table.

"Don't have to tell me twice!" Clover excitedly hopped up to the table as the birds followed after him.

Sofia shook her head good-naturedly before leaving her room. She followed the familiar path to Cedric's workshop, stopping every now and then to say hello to various people in the castle. She often wondered exactly _how_ _many_ people actually lived and worked there, but the thought made her head hurt a bit. She still hadn't even seen all of the castle, and she'd been there for over a year now.

The young princess paused at the wooden door and raised her hand, knocking in her familiar pattern. She smiled when a tired-looking Cedric opened the door. "Hi, Mr. Cedric!"

"Oh, Princess Sofia," he droned, rubbing his eyes as he stepped aside and let her inside. "What are you doing over here at such a late hour?"

"Well, I heard your birthday is tomorrow…"

The sorcerer groaned and sat down, flipping through his spell book. "Don't remind me. Yet another day filled with obligations unbecoming of a _royal_ sorcerer… And not even a piece of cake! Granted, a day filled with peace and quiet would work too, mind you; but would it kill them to at least _offer_ cake? Or even a cookie!"

She giggled and moved over to stand in front of her favorite castle dweller. "Well, maybe this will cheer you up. Here." She handed him the gift.

"What's this?" he asked, taking it carefully and observing the maroon fabric.

"It's for you. I made it for you."

Cedric blinked and cast his glance at Sofia, his eyes wider in surprise. "You made this…for _me_?"

"Happy birthday, Mr. Cedric," she said gently, smiling happily. She pointed at the card. "Read that first though."

He lifted the card from the gift and read it silently.

_Dear Mr. Cedric,_

_Happy Birthday! I know Dad and a lot of the others in the castle are probably going to ask a lot of you on your real birthday tomorrow, but I wanted to make sure you got something anyway. I know it's not much, but I hope you like it. I made it especially for you, because I think you're, well, "super!" No other sorcerer will ever top you, and you'll always be my favorite person to visit and learn from._

_Love,_

_Your Friend and Student ~ Sofia_

Cedric, for once, was at a loss for words. _Her_ words, on the other hand, had really blown him away. He knew she seemed to enjoy learning from him and being around him in general, but he had no idea she considered him a "favorite" anything. It was pretty humbling, considering his original and sometimes still prominent intent with the Amulet of Avalor she carried. But at times like this, he questioned those motives…especially when an innocent child like Sofia showed him the true kindness and appreciation he craved and never or rarely received from the others in the kingdom. If he'd ever been close to having a friend, aside from Wormwood, Sofia was it.

"Mr. Cedric?" she asked in concern, touching his gloved hand to bring him back to reality. "Are you all right?"

"Hmm?" He finally snapped out of it. "Oh, um, yes… Thank you for—for the kind words, Princess Sofia. They…" He sighed, smiling softly. "They actually really mean a lot…probably more than you'll know."

She giggled, happy to have pleased him. "Well, there's still more, of course!" She pointed at the wrapped gift.

He nodded, setting the card aside in a place he wouldn't lose it, and turned back to the gift. He loosened the yellow sash and unfolded the maroon fabric, letting it fall away to reveal the deep purple material Sofia had sewn together. He held it up and inspected it, smiling when he realized what it was.

"A cape?" he asked, laughing. "A cape for me?"

"Yes! You're like a superhero, Mr. Cedric-a superhero who can make potions and perform spells, and every superhero needs a cape." She smiled widely. "And just so no one else tries to borrow it, look at the middle."

In the middle of the cape was a large, hand-embroidered, golden "C" for Cedric. It glistened with small sparkles that had somehow made their way into the fabric to make it look much more glamorous and expensive than it really was.

"This…" Cedric paused to collect his thoughts and sighed. "This is truly amazing, Princess Sofia. I've never gotten a gift like this before…and no one ever really remembers my birthday around here. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mr. Cedric!" She moved forward and hugged him, much like she had a habit of doing now, and was surprised but happy when he did something he did only on occasion: he returned the hug.

Wormwood rolled his eyes at the display as he sat on his perch. Cedric was going soft, but it was kind of nice that his human friend was interacting with someone besides himself, even if it was the very princess from whom they'd tried stealing from in the past.

Cedric cleared his throat and shuffled from the hug, sitting up straighter. "I do appreciate this, princess, quite a lot…"

"I'm glad," she said with a laugh. "Maybe you can wear it around the castle and make Baileywick jealous."

He laughed at the almost-devious statement from his apprentice. "Right, as tempting as that would be, I think I'll leave it here so it doesn't get damaged. Wormy can keep an eye on it."

The raven muttered something under his breath that Sofia didn't quite catch and Cedric couldn't understand anyway.

"So about that cake," Sofia began with a grin. "I happen to know that James recently got two large cakes for Wassailia…and we really only need one." She shrugged. "And I happened to sneak the second cake out of the kitchen and into my room for safe keeping. Would you like a piece?"

Cedric laughed, absolutely thrilled with the girl's sneaky yet still sweet side. "I'd be delighted, princess. But I must make it fast—still have work to do, you know."

"I know. Come on!" She grabbed his hand and all but pulled him toward the door.

"Wormy! You're in charge until I return! And please—no 'experimenting' with the warthog whiskers again." He shut the door behind him as he and Sofia left to attain the aforementioned cake.

Wormwood hummed at the sorcerer's words and scoffed. He looked at the cape, neatly draped on the table, and cracked half a smile. While Sofia wasn't necessarily his favorite person, he did respect her kind nature to make even someone like Cedric feel appreciated. In his eyes, that's what being a real princess was all about in the first place. He yawned and closed his eyes, slipping into a dream world as the night waxed on.

The end


End file.
